In the assassin’s den: the Assassin’s Creed launch party

We spent the night in the assassin's den at the Canadian Assassin's Creed …

Two robe-clad monks stood outside the Fermenting Cellar-turned-assassin's den in the Distillery District in downtown Toronto, torch light barely illuminating their cloaked faces. The smell of kerosene hung in the air, and the fires warmed the crowd in the chill of an early Canadian winter night. Moments later, the gates opened and we were led inside: a trendy, corporate club in the heart of the city, the decorations recalling the landscape of Crusader-era Jerusalem. Strangely out of place were the scientists in white lab coats standing about the scene; they would ultimately go unexplained.

It was clear at the Assassin's Creed launch party I attended last night that the game is a big deal for French development house Ubisoft. Launch day had arrived, and Ubisoft was ready to celebrate the culmination of nearly four years of development time.

"I've been working for four years on this project; since right after Prince of Persia: Sands of Time," creative director Patrice Desilets told us before he went to start his demo. "In January 2004, we started the development. Four years of my personal life. That's four years for around 300 people: some left, some stayed until the end. This is my final demonstration of Assassin's Creed, so I'm a little emotional." Though his French accent was the butt of many of his jokes, his conviction was clear. "Tomorrow, the baby will be in your hands; it won't be in mine anymore." Perhaps it was the Canadian in me, a latent connection to the Montreal-born title, but I couldn't help but find Patrice's devotion to the product admirable.

We've become so entrenched in the title over the few months that we almost take Assassin's Creed for granted. Even the showing at PAX was relatively tame, as the crowd was already well-versed in the game. However, watching those last night who hadn't yet seen the title was incredible; jaws dropped, hollers were hooted, and upon the finale when Patrice climbed the tallest cathedral tower in the first city and plunged off it for nearly ten seconds before making his smooth landing, the crowd exploded with applause and cheers.

While jaded gamers may balk at some of the game's shortcomings—which we'll be touching on in my review—this is the kind of title that has the hype behind it to hopefully please most of those who play it, while drawing in even more new gamers. Ubisoft Montreal has really created something special, and the response at the end of the night was a testament to that.